A clumsy hero, a commander out to forcibly turn humanity back into infants, and cartoons in place of gameplay.

The profile is very young, one or two votes on most lines, so do not take anything as set in stone. Still, a trend already shows: Space Ace drifts through the lower half almost everywhere, with roughly a third of all games behind it on desert island, attachment, fun or controller feel. Its lowest point is the soundtrack, right at the bottom, ahead of less than 10% of titles, even if that rests on few votes. Nothing cruel in that: this is a 1983 classic, animated laserdisc where you press at the right moment, judged by criteria built for today's emotion and feel.

Against modern games, that gap is expected, its genius lay elsewhere, in the visual feat of an era when seeing a real cartoon move felt like a miracle.

So, who is it for? For you if you cherish the history of the medium and the retro thrill of arcade QTEs. Much less if you judge a game on its depth in hand and on lasting attachment.